Beyond the Brambles
by Dove's Wing
Summary: A series of drabbles focusing on warriors from past and present. /Recent: She knew him so well. The unmistakable flashes of reluctance and sorrow shining in the depths of his eyes. His gaze desperately meeting hers before averting quickly away.../
1. Hollyleaf's End

**Hollyleaf's End**

_She deserved it. They all deserved it!_

Heated anger radiated beneath Hollyleaf's pelt, leaving her furiously kicking stray stones towards the walls of the tunnels as she darted through them, her hurried pawsteps echoing in rings of sound. The unnatural walls threw the unwelcome echoes back at her, targeting her, _following_ her. Dejected rage exploded in red sparks inside her, dancing across her vision as she fled, away from the lies, away from the crimes, away from the code itself.

_They broke the warrior code!_

It wasn't as if it was the first time someone she knew had broken the warrior code. She herself had broken it when she, Lionblaze, and Jayfeather had crossed into ShadowClan territory when Sol was there. Lionblaze and Heathertail broke the code when they met up in these very tunnels every night during their apprenticeship. And of course, who could forget Firestar and his adventures as a young warrior? But all those tales and memories seemed to pale in comparison to this.

_I was a mistake. I _am_ a mistake, and I'll always be one!_

A distant rumble reached her wind-swept ears, but she merely dismissed it as another add-in of the roars of emotions overturning her inner being. How could it be? She was _still_ kin of Firestar's kin, a daughter of his other daughter Leafpool. How could a cat of the prophecy be a mistake? How could a cat of the prophecy _declared by StarClan_ be against the _warrior_ code?

_It can't be true! We're not the three; we can't be. It must be Cloudtail or-_

And that's when the tunnel collapsed, crushing her, suffocating her with dirt, extricating her from the world for eternity. The initial shock overcame her, seeming to suffocate her faster as her emotions were untangled from their knots, before the panic and terror felt directly before death conquered.

Then came the reserved serenity, the acceptance of death. The voicing of "the time has come".

She had just a split second to make a wish, or in this case, question, before her eyelids fluttered closed forever.

_Despite all I've done, will I go to StarClan?_

_

* * *

_

**A/N: **Part of me believes Hollyleaf is still alive, not having perished in those foreign tunnels. The other part thinks that she _did die _there, because if she didn't, it would go against all rules of logic.

...I'm such a contradictory person. But obviously, in this piece, my logical side one (as usual) and she dies.

Well, here you go, I guess. The last parting thoughts of the one and only Hollyleaf.

Please review with feedback. Thanks for reading.

~Dove's Wing~


	2. Born Again

**Born Again**

There wasn't much she could do now.

Her blue eyes, always known for their shining depths of wisdom, began to glaze over, her vision blurring until she could see no more, no longer. The faint beatings of her heart beneath her pelt faded, almost gently. The final breath was faint, so very faint that the stilling of her crippled gray body could barely be noticed, as she softly inhaled the pleasant scent of the young tabby knelt beside her, oblivious to the chaos surrounding her.

In her mind of fresh death, she felt her spirit gingerly slide out of her solid form, almost as if it were a repetition of one of the many omens she'd received in her lifetime, when she padded along, feeling alive while meeting with her starry ancestors when she was truly live and well in sleeping form. Her gaze laid regretfully on the cat kneeling below, her nose pressed deeply into her cooling fur as her eyes begged desperately for her to stay with her.

A soft silver glow illuminated the den, carrying encouraging brightness into the dreary den inhabited by moaning, heavily wounded warriors and the unmistakable, dreadful stench of blood. She tore her gaze away from the mournful cat, watching as a dappled tortoiseshell spirit slowly grew solid next to her. Their eyes locked, both pairs of wise gazes sharing the same amount of sadness and worry, yet easily conveying that this was meant to be. The time had to come- the time always had to come. The time to leave the Clans hunting among nature's earthly grounds to float up to the heavens above, always watching those who still live.

The starry ancestor gave an imperceptible nod, the signal to follow her. She took a hesitant step forward, towards her escort. Then another. And another. The beat her next step touched the thin air unrealistically supporting her was when the universe seemed to reverse in time.

Multiple silver sparks flashed across her vision, temporarily blinding her. Yet, she did not believe anything was happening uncharacteristically off course, because the event occurs various times when intercepting messages being passed through dreams and daylight visions and signs.

But this was different.

The sparks flashed in patterns of urgency, erratically swerving and bouncing at complicated angles around the edges of her eyes, as if sailing across a sea on the blue pupils of hers.

And then there was darkness. Blinding, eerie darkness, stretching on for what felt like ages, but was really only moments later from her death in the real world.

Only after moans of agony did she feel herself getting closer to light, very dim light. That's when she saw, saw what had happened so drastically wrong...

She was a kit.

Soft, fluffy gray fur was being licked the wrong way to keep her shivering body with warmth, her paws small and tinier than she could remember. _Uncrippled._

Her huge eyes scanned her surroundings, and a minuscule section of her mind, a section that was buried incredibly deep under her conscious, jolted in shock as she glanced at the twisted body a few tail lengths away. The fur, the awkwardly angled leg...but the memory had been wiped. Wiped away and buried under, never to be uncovered in this lifetime. But perhaps they were never buried deep enough. Perhaps one day, the earth would wear away, giving faint glimpses of the past...

A faint breeze stirred the fur near her ears, and a gentle voice purred, "You've been given a second chance."

And then there was another voice, this one much closer and real, many decibels louder, whispering, "Cinderkit."

* * *

**A/N: **Ta da! An update at last, this one focusing on Cinderpelt's reincarnation. Personally, I find this one to be my best one yet, as it strays away from the stle of writing I used on the two previous drabbles.

Thanks for reading. Reviews would be much appreciated.

~Dove's Wing~


	3. Betrayed

**Betrayed**

_Betrayal. Mouse-brained betrayal!_

Pain clouded Heatherpaw's thoughts as she trotted blindly through the tunnels, her pawsteps pattering raucously against the unfamiliar ground. Her heart hammered dully in her heaving chest. _Thump, thump, thump..._

How _could_ he? He's her friend! He _was_ her friend.

She wouldn't deny that she hadn't seen a future with herself and Lionpaw. Somehow, even in her early apprenticed mind, she had distinguished her full admiration for him when she's first met him at the Gathering.

Was it love? She didn't believe so. There was always a an unwavering spark though. And she'd always felt comfortable with him, right from their first meeting. Joy had blossomed in her chest every night they met.

_Strong friendship. Not love._

No, it wasn't love. Most definitely not.

Or could that be her own denial over the recent events?

She knew it hadn't been easy for Lionpaw, either. She knew him so well, after their few moons of nighttime meetings. The unmistakable flashes of reluctance and sorrow shining in the depths of his eyes. His gaze desperately meeting hers before quickly averting away...

_Great StarClan! Stop acting so moony! _Although Heatherpaw would certainly miss those meetings, this was absolutely _unnecessary. _If Lionpaw had chosen ThunderClan over her, so be it. She would do the same, as a result of that...that _mouse-brain's_ decision.

She lifted her nose loftily, coldness overwhelming her. Hostility. Hatred...toward ThunderClan. She was just like the majority of WindClan now.

And that's probably how it should be. _Probably._

_

* * *

_**A/N: **Yep, so here, they're referred to as Lionpaw and Heatherpaw, not their warrior names because this takes place directly after Lionblaze tells Heathertail of his decision. So, at the time, they're both still apprentices.

Eh. Personally, I didn't like this one as much... It seemed so bouncy and all over the place, I guess. And it was really short; kinda rushed... Feel free to tell me what _you_ think.

Thanks!

~Dove's Wing~


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